A Past Forgotten...Almost...
by Sarah Cabbage Patch
Summary: I just installed Chapter 6! Please read and review! Plus, I'm always open to suggestions and I can take criticism! So, in other words, HELP!!!!
1. A Shared Dream

A Past Forgotten….Almost  
  
Disclaimer: I own no Lost World characters. In fact I own nothing but this character I introduced. But, I really don't. I just made her up!  
  
She wandered through the familiar jungle path, as she did everyday, taking in the sights, smells and sounds that greeted her lonely ears. She came to the river beside her home: an old hollowed-out mountain hidden beneath a waterfall. Inside the mountain, lay her village; well, her encampment anyway. Her parents and about 100 other people; hunters, scientists, geologists, etc., had traveled to the plateau about 15 years ago, in search of this marvelous world. Now, she was the only one left; everyone (including her parents) had either been killed or lost to other tribes in the first two years on the plateau. She had survived for 13 years on her own, with the only thought of the person inside the pendant she often fingered around her neck…  
  
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Meanwhile, back at the Treehouse, Marguerite was desperately trying to cook something edible.  
  
"I'll show them," she muttered. "I can learn how to make a decent meal without burning it!"  
  
And she was succeeding as well, for the moment. Then, all of a sudden, Roxton and Malone, who had been fixing the windmill, came in and decided to play a little game. Malone stood in the kitchen, behind Marguerite (who didn't seem to notice), and Roxton stood in the other room. John then proceeded to toss the rifles at Malone so he could put them away for the time being. Unfortunately, Malone's hands were a little sweaty, and he caught the first rifle fine, but when the second came..  
  
"What in the bloody hell are you doing?" Marguerite screamed at him. "Why are you throwing guns at me? Ohhhhh. Now look what you did."  
  
The second rifle had slipped out of Ned's hands and landed by the stove, clipping Marguerite in the side, and sending her almost perfect food all over the floor. Ned shrunk back, knowing he had just crossed Marguerite's bad side. While Roxton sat semi-stunned, just waiting to feel Marguerite's wrath.  
  
Marguerite was now holding her side, for the rifle had clipped her pretty badly, and she was heartbroken over her destroyed meal, which lay tattered on the kitchen floor. She looked up and caught Roxton's fading smirk; which, unfortunately for Roxton, angered her even more.  
  
"I can't believe you two!" Marguerite shrieked. "Here I was, just trying to make a decent, edible meal to pull my weight around here, and you two decide to just come in here and start throwing bloody guns at me!"  
  
"Well," Ned piped up, "We weren't throwing them at you, we were putting them away, and that last one slipped; which is sort of my fault anyway. So whatever you do, let Roxton off, he had nothing to do with it."  
  
Shocked at his young friend's bravery, Roxton also spoke up, "No Marguerite. Blame me, not Malone. I probably threw the rifle too hard. So, just leave him alone, ok?"  
  
Marguerite sat stunned and didn't know what to say. The two men just sat there and waited for Marguerite's fury to ensue.  
  
Finally, Marguerite spoke. "Well, you two aren't making this very easy, so I will."  
  
Both men stood there, waiting for one of them to be ripped to shreds.  
  
"I will," she started, rather calmly (which scared the men even more than her screams), "completely and absolutely forget about this little...incident."  
  
Malone and Roxton were bewildered; they didn't know what to say or do. This definitely wasn't the Marguerite they knew (and Roxton loved).  
  
"But," Marguerite then continued, "I will need you two to do a little favor for me in return for messing up my dinner."  
  
"But of course," Roxton finally stammered. "Anything Marguerite. We messed up your 'dinner' and a little favor is the least we can do. So, what is this little favor?"  
  
Marguerite smiled. "It is really pretty simple. I just need a few ingredients because I used the last of some spices and herbs in my meal, that is now all over the floor. I only need some pepper, cayenne and a few other things."  
  
Roxton and Malone inwardly sighed; they were expecting Marguerite to send them off into the dark valley, or into a dinosaur's nest. So, Marguerite gave them a small (actually very small) list of about 5 or 6 ingredients she needed, all of which were very close and easily identifiable. But, before they left, Roxton sent Malone on down first so he could talk to Marguerite alone. Little favors with her were never this simply solved, and Roxton assumed something was wrong. When he went back into the kitchen, he found her picking up the food from the floor, but she seemed to be doing it absentmindedly; like she was preoccupied with something else, something that she seemed to have around her neck...  
  
"Marguerite," Roxton said soothingly. "Is there something the matter? You never let Ned and myself off that easy."  
  
Marguerite, who was a little surprised by Roxton standing there, simply stood up and smiled. "Nothing really," she replied. "It was simply an accident. What more do you want me to do? Did you want to go into space or something and fetch me a star?"  
  
Roxton smiled lovingly. "If it would make you happy, then yes. You know I would do anything for you, Marguerite."  
  
Marguerite stood shocked; she had not expected him to say something like that. She loved him with all of her heart and soul, but she was too afraid of him hurting her; like all of the others before him. Instead of replying, she finished picking up the food and playing with the piece of jewelry around her neck.  
  
Roxton noted her silence...and the trinket she fooled around with on her neck.  
  
"What," Roxton implored. "Is that fine necklace around your neck? I don't believe I've ever seen it before."  
  
"You wouldn't have," she replied somewhat dreamily. "I haven't put it on in quite a long time."  
  
Roxton was a little perplexed. Marguerite always wore her jewelry that meant everything to her. She also never hid the fact she had any certain piece of jewelry. "Well," he began; forgetting Malone was already on his way. "What sparked this occasion? It is very lovely."  
  
He could now see the locket in its entirety. It was a beautifully bright silver chain, woven with a gold ball every so often, and at the end of the chain in the center of her chest, lay the locket itself; a wonderful, calligraphic heart, encrusted with diamonds, rubies and emeralds. It was the most beautiful thing Roxton thought Marguerite owned.  
  
"A dream," she responded softly. "A dream that I had last night. About...someone..."  
  
This intrigued Roxton greatly. Everything about this woman intrigued him to the point of insanity. He loved her and wanted to know everything thing that he could.  
  
"A dream?" he questioned. "About someone? Well, if you don't mind my asking, what and who did you dream about?"  
  
"Her," Marguerite whispered, opening the locket and showing Roxton a picture of two young girls. Pointing to the girl on the right, she answered John's next question, "She's my sister..."  
  
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Meanwhile, back in the jungle...  
  
The girl had now wandered from her home and proceeded to move in the direction of a nearby field that held many herbs and spices she needed to stock up on, with the silver locket, encrusted with diamonds, rubies and emeralds, reflecting the sun's rays off into the distance. She hadn't worn the locket in quite a while, but she had experienced a wonderful dream last night, one that reminded her of what had kept her alive all these years. The hope; hope that her older sister was still out there looking for her, even after all these years apart, never knowing if the other was dead or alive. The girl she shared the locket with, given to them by her mother as a Christmas gift. "The diamonds," she heard, " stand for your birthstone." She commented, pointing at the older girl. " The emeralds stand for your birthstone, and the rubies stand for your father and I. It is a reminder that we are always together." The long ago memory suddenly faded as quickly as it came. With a sudden burst of nostalgia, Melody, known as Mel to her closest friends and family, continued off to the meadow to gather her herbs and spices. Little did she know, but her older sister lay just across the valley, with the same memory playing around inside her mind as well...  
  
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Back at the treehouse, Roxton sat stunned.  
  
"Your what?" he queried.  
  
Marguerite, finally back in somewhat of a reality, couldn't quite gage the Lord's reaction to her news. "My sister," she replied again, rather calmly. "My little sister, Melody."  
  
Roxton was still a little flabbergasted. "I heard you the first time," he answered back. "I was, just a little bit in shock... How come you have never mentioned her before?"  
  
"Because," Marguerite responded, "I sort of...forgot..."  
  
"You forgot?!" Roxton exclaimed. "How on earth could you forget you had a sister? And forget to mention this to any of us?"  
  
Roxton had gotten a little angry and Marguerite had noticed it. John suddenly realized that maybe he had blown up for no reason and that he had hurt his wonderful heiress, as he could see it in her eyes.  
  
"I'm sorry Marguerite," Roxton apologized. "I shouldn't have blown up like that. I don't know the whole story, and I should have listened befo..."  
  
"No, John," Marguerite interrupted. "I know I should have told you- all of you- but I really did forget, as horrible as that sounds; forgetting my own sister. It was just so long ago-I.."  
  
At that moment, Roxton whisked her away into a lovingly embrace, one that resembled their friendship, passion and love all in one; and this time Marguerite didn't resist, mostly because she really needed it right now.  
  
"Now," Roxton began. "Why don't we start from the beginning, hmm? But first, I know you need time to think about this, so I'm going to go and get those ingredients for you with Malone and then I'll be back. And afterwards, just you and I will sit down, and we'll sort this whole this out. Alright?"  
  
Marguerite instantly understood she loved this man more than life itself right now, and that sudden realization left her mute, and all she could do was nod. With that, Roxton pulled back from their embrace (much to his displeasure), kissed his love on the forehead and then proceeded to go and find Malone. Right then and there, Marguerite wanted to stay like that forever; a sort of mold of their love for each other. It felt so right, yet deep down where she wanted to tell him with every fiber of her being, she also longed to keep it inside forever. She knew things from her past had hurt her, and would, in turn, hurt him as well; and that was the last thing she wanted. But, at the same time, Marguerite wished that Roxton had never let go of her. But as suddenly as the memories of her sister had appeared, they were back again, and she was lost inside her own past once more...  
  
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On her way to the meadow, Mel thought about her sister again. She was only about 7 when they had left. Her parents were wonderful people who had grown up with the story of this incredible Lost World. A good friend of theirs had supposedly come across it in his time, and they became fascinated with it, and in time, their children did as well. Mel didn't remember their last name, but she did remember her parent's first names: Victoria Rose and Jonathan Steven.  
  
They had arranged a trip when the children were young to try and find this lost world. Melody and Marguerite, their two angels from Heaven had both wanted to go, but their parents would not let them; at least both of them anyway. Finally, Victoria and Jon made their decision; Marguerite, who was around 11 at the time, would stay here because she had just started etiquette school, and in a few years, would be able to carry on the family bloodline. She would stay with fellow nuns of the family since her parents were only children and both grandparents had passed away many years ago. They told her simply that they were bringing Melody because she had never been anywhere before, as Marguerite had already been to France, Germany, Italy, Africa, and many other countries. They promised they would return as soon as they found it, and they would come home for Marguerite so she could see it for herself. Unfortunately, Victoria and Jon had to lie to their beloved firstborn because the truth would have hurt her greatly; Melody had been severely ill for the past few weeks and the doctor feared that she would die. Her parents were bringing her because they felt it would have been too much on dear, sweet Marguerite if her little sister had died on her at home, at least in the jungle there were many excuses for a life lost.  
  
That was 15 years ago. Mel had thrived greatly here on the plateau, and had survived past all of her friends that had journeyed here with her. While Marguerite, back at home, never knew what had become of her family. She had never made the connection between the plateau and her family before because she had decided long ago that they had never made it there, mainly because they had never returned. Since her parents never returned, Marguerite had to fend for herself after school (it was either being alone or be a nun). Mel and Marguerite had both forgotten each other, mainly because they felt the other had given up hope on ever finding them. Little did they know, but soon, their lives would collide again, their family would be as one and great dangers would surface to try and keep these sisters from ever being a family again.  
  
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Roxton quickly caught up with Malone, who was starting to become worried that John had gotten lost, or worse. They ventured in silence to the meadow, Ned knowing whatever had taken Roxton that long was none of his business; at least until Roxton decided to tell him. When they reached the meadow, John hastily found all of the ingredients needed, leaving Malone a little perplexed.  
  
"Say, Roxton," Malone ventured. "What is the rush? Marguerite said to take our time."  
  
"Well Malone," Roxton semi-growled. "I promised Marguerite I would talk to her about something when we got back. And I don't like leaving her alone anyway. The lingering smell of her now-ruined food could attract predators."  
  
"Oh. I see," Malone inwardly chuckled. "Mind if I ask what you two are going to talk about? That way if it is something personal, I can know to make myself scarce."  
  
Roxton sighed. His young friend sometimes really made him wonder how he had ever survived three years on this plateau. "Actually Malone," John said. "It is sort of a family ordeal. But I assume she'll share it with everyone tonight, so I don't believe it would be a problem if you found out a little early."  
  
Malone became thoroughly excited that his friend the hunter was going to share this tidbit with him. "It's a family thing?" he asked. "I thought Marguerite didn't have any family, at least ones she didn't know about."  
  
"As a matter of fact," Roxton began. "Marguerite does have family; she just sort of forgot about her."  
  
"Forgot about her?" Malone questioned rather brashly. "She forgot? And it's a her? Alright, would you mind elaborating on that?"  
  
"Of course," Roxton chuckled heartily. "You see Malone, Marguerite had a dream last night. And in it, she saw her sister, she mentioned her name briefly, but I forgot already, and we are going to talk about it when I get back there. Anyway, she remembered her sister and tonight she is going to te-"  
  
Roxton stopped talking abruptly and pointed his rifle towards a direction in the woods.  
  
"What is it?" Malone inquired.  
  
"I don't know," Roxton mumbled. "Maybe a dinosaur, but it didn't sound big enough. It might be a person, but we're not in anybody's territory. At far as I know."  
  
Both men had their guns pointed towards the distant snapping sound in the forest. Little did they know, but their visitor had spied them quite a while ago and was already in the plan of jumping them. Their guest had tied a small lizard to a tree so it would make enough noise to distract the two men sitting in the meadow. They were new to the visitor's eyes, so they took no chances. Slowly, they crept behind the older one in the tree and waited just a second longer.  
  
Finally, Roxton and Malone's guest leaped out of the trees, knocking them both to the ground.  
  
"Who are you?" a voice demanded. "And what are you doing here?"  
  
Roxton lifted up his head, spit out dirt and breathlessly answered back. "I am Lord John Roxton and this is my friend Ned Malone. We came here in peace, just to gather some herbs for dinner."  
  
With that, they felt the weight of their visitor being lifted off of them and two small and delicate, though rough and strong hands came down to help the men up. They stood up and were surprised as they turned around to see a young woman standing there wielding a dangerous looking knife in one hand and a smile on her face. She reminded the men of Veronica a little bit, and of someone else too. But who, they couldn't figure out...  
  
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The young woman stood there, staring at the two strangers who had just identified themselves as Roxton and Malone. She noticed that the one who had spoken had a distinct English accent, so maybe, just maybe...  
  
"Are you from England?" the young woman questioned. "You have a very distinct accent. And you said Roxton? Could that be any relation to Lord Henry and Lady June Roxton of...oh...I forget the town."  
  
Astounded by the young woman's question of his parents, John bewilderedly replied, "Well, yes, actually I am from England. And Lord and Lady Roxton are my parents. But, How could you have known that?"  
  
The young woman smiled. "My parents knew them. They asked them to come on this expedition, but I believe that it was either you or your brother who was going off to the Royal Navy at such a young age; they didn't want to leave." She paused as if she had just thought of something. "Why are you here? How did you find this place? Are you with anyone else?"  
  
The men both laughed at the girl's many question, and it was Malone who ended up replying. "We're here to prove a beloved, yet stubborn scientist wrong; We found this wonderful place through a map found on a lost explorer; and yes, we are with other people: a scientist, a huntress jungle girl, and a linguist-slash-geologist."  
  
"Oh," came the woman's reply. "But you're here, right now, getting herbs? May I ask for what?"  
  
"A friend," came John's answer. "We accidentally ruined her dinner, and so we came here to get some of the ingredients to make it up to her. Now, if you don't mind me asking, since you already asked us: What just so happens to be your name, and why is it you are here?"  
  
"Mel," she retorted simply. "And I am here to gather more herbal supplies for my gar-"  
  
She stopped abruptly and looked out into the forest. The two explorers didn't hear anything and became a little perturbed.  
  
"Now what are you doing?" questioned Roxton, who was now a little impatient. "Is this some kind of ploy or something? We don't hear a th-"  
  
With that Mel shoved her hand over Roxton's mouth with a hurried "shh."  
  
"Be quiet!" she hissed. "I know you probably can't hear it. It's a pack of about 8 raptors. They are up ahead about 200 yards.... And they can smell us!"  
  
Roxton and Malone then suddenly heard a series of loud growls, which they knew meant only one thing: dinner! They brought their rifles up and Mel had her knives ready and waiting. 


	2. A Young Woman

The young woman stood there, staring at the two strangers who had just identified themselves as Roxton and Malone. She noticed that the one who had spoken had a distinct English accent, so maybe, just maybe...  
  
"Are you from England?" the young woman questioned. "You have a very distinct accent. And you said Roxton? Could that be any relation to Lord Henry and Lady June Roxton of...oh...I forget the town."  
  
Astounded by the young woman's question of his parents (and her slight English accent. She looks like a jungle girl to me, he thought. But with an English accent?) John bewilderedly replied, "Well, yes, actually I am from England. And Lord and Lady Roxton are my parents. But, How could you have known that?"  
  
The young woman smiled. "My parents knew them. They asked them to come on this expedition, but I believe that it was either you or your brother who was going off to the Royal Navy at such a young age; they didn't want to leave." She paused as if she had just thought of something. "Why are you here? How did you find this place? Are you with anyone else?"  
  
The men both laughed at the girl's many question, and it was Malone who ended up replying. "We're here to prove a beloved, yet stubborn scientist wrong; We found this wonderful place through a map found on a lost explorer; and yes, we are with other people: a scientist, a huntress jungle girl, and a linguist-slash-geologist."  
  
"Oh," came the woman's reply. "But you're here, right now, getting herbs? May I ask for what?"  
  
"A friend," came John's answer. "We accidentally ruined her dinner, and so we came here to get some of the ingredients to make it up to her. Now, if you don't mind me asking, since you already asked us: What just so happens to be your name, and why is it you are here?"  
  
"Mel," she retorted simply. "And I am here to gather more herbal supplies for my gar-"  
  
She stopped abruptly and looked out into the forest. The two explorers didn't hear anything and became a little perturbed.  
  
"Now what are you doing?" questioned Roxton, who was now a little impatient. "Is this some kind of ploy or something? We don't hear a th-"  
  
With that Mel shoved her hand over Roxton's mouth with a hurried "shh."  
  
"Be quiet!" she hissed. "I know you probably can't hear it. It's a pack of about 8 raptors. They are up ahead about 200 yards.... And they can smell us!"  
  
Roxton and Malone then suddenly heard a series of loud growls, which they knew meant only one thing: dinner! They brought their rifles up and Mel had her knives ready and waiting. 


	3. A new friendship forms

The two explorers and their newfound "friend" waited in silence, as their attackers slowly crept up around them.  
  
"Spread out," Mel ordered. "They're going to try and circle us; attack from all possible points. So be on guard."  
  
Roxton was inwardly surprised (and fortunate) that their new, young woman friend knew what she was doing. She has very good tactics for a jungle girl, Roxton thought. She still looks very familiar though, and for the life of me, I can't figure out where I would have seen her... Roxton's thoughts quickly changed from her to their ravenous visitors waiting in the veiled forest of trees; waiting to have a very tasty feast on the trio that stood before them.  
  
Finally, the raptors made the first move, the leader (presumably) rushed out to the side of Malone, before Ned could even have a chance to raise his rifle (Ned wasn't exactly the best hunter in the world yet).  
  
With a swift move of her arm, Mel thrust her knife, cutting through the thick jungle air, at the raptor. Within seconds, the raptor was down; struck clean through to the heart. The raptor was just seconds from making Malone his next meal.  
  
"Woah," Roxton replied, astounded. "You're very good with that thing. Maybe even better than our friend back home."  
  
"Now's not the time to dabble, Lord Roxton," Mel said hurriedly, as she went to retrieve her knife from the fallen dinosaur. "But thank you just the same."  
  
Roxton felt better after he saw her sliver of a smile (which still reminded him of someone), and realized it was best to get back on track.  
  
"Are you alright?" Mel questioned, as she helped Malone to his feet.  
  
"Yeah, Yeah," Malone voiced rather winded. "He came out of nowhere...Thanks for saving my life, I owe you one."  
  
"You can owe me later," Mel riposted. "But for now, is everyone alright? Can everyone fight?"  
  
With the nodding of heads in response, Mel continued, "All right then, I know this ploy. With their leader down, they might try to post a group attack. So be ready for anything."  
  
The trio waited for what seemed like an eternity before they struck again, and as a group. The dinosaurs propelled themselves from every possible angle, and the mini-war ensued. Roxton and Malone faired well with their rifles and Mel even more so with her hunting knives. More raptors had heard the commotion and had joined the party down in the meadow, adding to the carnage already created by the original group. Finally, it came down to one raptor versus Malone. Ned had managed to elude it, but it had gotten the better of him. He was lying on his back, grimacing in pain, as his assailant edged closer with every breath.  
  
Roxton and Mel whirled around from their latest victories just in time to see Malone about to lose his life. With the speed of lightening, Roxton and Mel both fired their weapons: Roxton with his rifle and Mel with her knife. The raptor didn't stand a chance; the bullet drove deep into its heart and the knife into its eye. The raptor fell to the ground with a deafening screech, and Malone could finally breathe again. But not for long, because he soon passed out from the pain and loss of blood in his severed leg.  
  
"Oh, boy," Roxton sighed. "I'd better get him back to the treehouse before we lose him."  
  
"How far away is it?" Mel questioned suddenly.  
  
"About 6, 6 and a half hours," Roxton answered. "Why?"  
  
"My home," Mel remarked. "Is only 1 hour away. He'll lose less blood that way, and he won't suffer as much jolting around. And besides, you're too hurt to carry him for that long by yourself."  
  
Roxton smirked. "I guess that is a shorter way. But who said I was carrying him by myself? And you're hurt too!"  
  
Mel grinned back. "It is shorter. And you're not carrying him by yourself: I'll help. But not for six hours! And I'm not going back to your home, I think I would have competition with your huntress friend you keep comparing me to. Besides, my arm is only scratched; yours is obviously in pain."  
  
Roxton had been starting to make his way over to his fallen friend, but he kept holding his left arm. It does hurt, Roxton thought. Probably because a bloody raptor bit it.  
  
"Alright," Roxton gave in. "We'll take Malone to your home, and there, you can mend my arm if you don't mind."  
  
"Of course not," Mel beamed as she knelt over Malone, studying him. "It's only a raptor bite, and I've got ointment for that. (Pauses) He has a broken leg and definitely some major bruises. He might have a broken rib as well. We'll have to be very careful taking him back, I have the proper supplies for a splint at home."  
  
Roxton was fascinated. "You know quite a lot about medical things. Were your parents doctors? Or are you? You seem to have a mighty nice English accent there yourself."  
  
She just chuckled. "No, my parents were not doctors, just scientists. But how do you think I have survived here alone? I had to figure out how to diagnose bad situations like this to survive. And, most of all, now is not the time to get suspicious. If you must know," she continued, carrying some large tree fronds to create a type of stretcher for Malone. "I am from England. I came here when I was about 6 or 7, and I have just never lost my accent. And neither have you, Mr. Inquisitive!"  
  
Roxton just chuckled as he helped Mel tie up the stretcher with leaves and load Malone onto them. They slowly made their way through the slew of now- extinct raptors towards Mel's humble mountain abode... 


	4. A little bit of history

Roxton followed behind Mel as they carried Ned through the opposite side of the meadow and through a part of the forest Roxton was sure he'd never seen before.  
  
"Have you been here all this time," Roxton piped up from the back. "Or is your encampment one of those shifting planes of reality? I only ask because I don't believe I've ever been through this part of the plateau before."  
  
"And why should you have?" Mel questioned back, with a smile evident in her voice. "There is nothing important by my home. And yes, it has always been here. It's never moved, and never will. The only reason my expedition chose that location was because it was large enough to hide us all from our carnivorous friends. And it was close enough to a massive water source that is visited less frequently by predatory dinosaurs."  
  
"You sure do like the sound of your own voice, don't you?" Roxton lamented back, with a foolish grin on his face.  
  
Mel laughed at his sarcastic question. "Ha ha Lord Roxton, very funny. And I suppose that you have no love of yourself either?"  
  
"Of course not," John chuckled back. "I don't find myself that interesting."  
  
"Well," Melody arose. "When you happen to live alone, with no one around for days, let alone kilometers, you sort of tend to have conversations with yourself. It's sometimes the only thing you can do to keep from going insane."  
  
Roxton's grin faded. "You live alone?"  
  
"Yes," Melody suspired. "I do. I have most of my life here on the plateau."  
  
"Why?" Roxton asked, intrigued; yet feeling sorry. "What happened to your expedition you said you came with?"  
  
"Dead," came her short reply. "Most of them anyway. Some ran off into the valley of shadows, some ran off before we crossed into the plateau, and some ran off and were just never seen again. Dinosaurs and cannibals killed most, I'm afraid. My parents, they...they were killed by a pack of raptors while out scouting. I was with them too. We were monitoring an area, when they got the jump on us; my father threw me into the highest tree and went down to fight them. They both put up a defiant battle, but in the end-"  
  
Roxton, feeling worse and worse with every word, made her stop. "Please," he pleaded. "You don't have to go on. It must have been horrible for you; to see your parents killed like that. I am very sorry."  
  
Melody just sort of smiled. "It's all right. There's nothing you, or anyone, can do about it anymore. They've been gone so long; sometimes that's the only memory of them I have. I know it's not a very good or pleasant one, but it's still a memory, and I would rather have one horrible recollection, then none at all. One of the only things that have kept me alive is the thought of my family." Wherever she might be, she thought...  
  
  
  
"I understand what you mean," Roxton commented. "I have memories just like that. How long ago did your parents die?"  
  
"Well," she began. "I came here 15 years ago, when I was about 6. So, they died when I was around 8, almost 9. So, that makes it close to 13 years ago they died. And they were the last of the expedition; well, besides me."  
  
Roxton was astonished. "13 years ago?! You've been alone that long? How is it that we've never encountered you before?"  
  
"Because Lord Roxton," Mel stated simply. "I keep mostly to myself. I have no reason to leave except to get more supplies. And I don't have to do that often. Sometimes I visit the Zanga, to see some of my family's friends and guides, but that is also very rare for me."  
  
"You know the Zanga?" Roxton inquired. "Our friend, well, we all, know the Zanga. Do you know Veronica Layton then?"  
  
Mel smirked. "Only by name. The Zanga speak very highly of her; especially Assai."  
  
With that Mel stopped and gently laid her end of Malone's stretcher down.  
  
"Wow," Roxton replied, dumbfounded. "I can't believe we've always been so close and yet, have never met. That's really- Hey! Why have we stopped?"  
  
"We're here," Mel said matter-of-factly.  
  
"We're here?" Roxton asked, a little perplexed. "This mountain is your home? And so is this waterfall?"  
  
"Yes," was Mel's only reply.  
  
They were now standing in front of a picturesque scene; there was a mountain, tall and covered in lush green vegetation, and below it, a mini- lake of sorts. The lake, though, came from the beautiful, flowing waterfall that was in front of the mountain; running down the side, actually, cascading down the mountain from a little-known stream up above.  
  
"It is very exquisite," Roxton answered. "But I don't understand how you could have housed an expedition in this surrounding; it's too much in the open!"  
  
"Ah," Mel smiled. "But that's the beauty of it all. Here, I'll show you my home. (Pauses) I hope you don't mind getting a little wet."  
  
Mel picked Malone up again and starting heading for the falls.  
  
"Woah," Roxton uttered, quite baffled. "Where are we going? Wait! Are we going through the waterfall? I don't think that's a very good idea. The pressure from the water might hurt Ned even more."  
  
"We're not going through the water," Mel giggled. "We're going to go around it. There's a little passage off to the side. You'll see." 


	5. A Final Connection

Without realizing it, Roxton held his breath as they journeyed toward the waterfall. He instantly became worried for their safety. What if the pressure from the water is too much? What if it hurts Ned even more? I would never forgive myself.  
  
"Are you sure it'll be alright?" questioned Roxton uneasily.  
  
"Of course," Mel replied simply. "I wouldn't still live here if it wasn't safe."  
  
Sort of reassured by Mel's soft tones, Roxton released his held-in breath and let a few of his worries go. As they neared the magnificent waterfall, Roxton was able to see a small crack in the rock off to the side of the rushing water. It was big enough to fit two men side by side, but small enough so that a raptor would get stuck. Mel headed for the fissure in the mountain without hesitation, but stopped just in front and set her end of Ned's stretcher down.  
  
"Why are we stopping?" Roxton worriedly questioned. "Is something wrong?"  
  
Mel turned around and smiled at him. "Of course not," she answered encouragingly. "But it is rather dark leading to the entrance, and I'm just going to light the torches so we'll be able to see. That way Malone doesn't get hurt more than he has to. Alright?"  
  
Roxton just nodded and watched in amazement as Mel put her hand onto a protruding rock and pushed down. A hidden "rock-flap", if you will, opened up and revealed another switch. Mel flipped up the switch, and all of a sudden, the fissure was lit up in an instant.  
  
Noticing his look of astonishment, Mel clued her new friend in on what had just happened. "My father wired it," she began. "It is just a simple wiring mechanism that hooks something up to a spark; the electricity ignites a fire and lights up the cavern, which has torches strategically placed all around. It's a little complicated, I'm afraid, but it works and that is enough for me."  
  
She smiled to show her friend that it was nothing big not to understand, as he didn't, and that it was nothing impertinent to know. With that, Mel picked up the stretcher again and began to proceed through to the entrance of her home.  
  
The fissure was no more than seven or eight feet deep and well worn out. At the end was a huge wooden door, with a little peephole and everything. Mel balanced the stretcher on her hips and reached off to the side, placing her hand into another hole (There sure are a lot of little hiding places around here, Roxton thought) and coming out with a key of sorts. She placed it into the keyhole, opened the heavy door, and Roxton felt as though his very soul had left him.  
  
Inside the hollow cave, it was like a small village; there were small stick and stone huts, stores, wells, fountains, animals, grass and yards to play in. There was a cart of vegetables over to the side that were placed against the wall so that a small stream sprayed out over them to keep them watered and fresh. There seemed to be gardens, electricity and even running water. It was like an imitation of a rural English village; a mini-paradise here on the plateau.  
  
"Wow," was all that our daring hunter could say. "This is, this is beautiful! I can't believe you live here! It's magnanimous!"  
  
"Well, thank you," Mel said, a little bashful. "It's nothing much, but when you have almost 200 people in here, it seems to fare well. Here, let's set Malone down in Tracker's house while I go and get some medical supplies from the doctor's office. After we finish repairing Ned, we'll get your wound cleaned out."  
  
"Tracker?" Roxton asked questionably. "What's a tracker?"  
  
Mel simply just laughed. "Tracker," she said after her quaint laughter died down. "Was a good friend of the family's. His hut is right next door to mine and just across from the doctor's office.' I'm sure we can just have you sleep wherever. I'll let it be your choice."  
  
She went off to the right and began to follow down a dirt path, almost like a street through town. They traveled all the way to the end and rested at what seemed to be some of the largest 'huts' that John had noticed. Mel led the way into the house on the left and went upstairs into the master bedroom. They carefully laid Ned down onto the bed and off the stretcher.  
  
"You stay here with him," Mel ordered. "I'm going to run across the way and fetch some of the good doctor's supplies. I'll be right back. If he starts to wake up, holler, alright?"  
  
"Of course," Roxton said, still amazed at this tiny settlement.  
  
As Mel walked away, Roxton stood up and ventured around Tracker's room. He saw gadgets of all sorts scattered around on shelves and tables, and he saw pictures behind a glass encasement, obviously created here, for the paper glued to it read "Made especially for Tracker, the best damn drinker in the entire expedition."  
  
Roxton chuckled at this sign and proceeded to look at the pictures. There was only about six of them, but they obviously were of people this man Tracker cared for. There was one that held (what he supposed) was the entire expedition that came here; another of whom he assumed was Tracker's family (for their was a house behind the small group with a family crest that said Trackers never are wrong); one more picture was of a group of Zanga warriors, whom now, were getting old and past their hunting days. There were two pictures of a couple; a very nice-looking couple that consisted of a man with short, dark, curly hair, a very prominent stature and a very lanky frame, and with him, a beautiful woman with lighter, thick hair and mysterious looking eyes. Their features combined reminded Roxton of someone, some people, but who, he couldn't remember. Finally, the last picture held the most noticeable one of them all; it was of two little girls posing for a picture in front of a very large house. They looked extremely alike and extremely familiar. Both girls had a necklace with a heart locket on it, and when he looked closer, John could notice some gems embossing the locket.  
  
It was the same one that he had seen on Marguerite this morning; the one that she said had reminded her of her sister.  
  
At that moment Mel had come back with her medical items and noticed Roxton staring intently at some of the pictures.  
  
"That's my family," Mel piped up, startling Roxton a little. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you. But that couple is my parents, and that is my sister."  
  
"You never mentioned you had a sister," Roxton quivered.  
  
"You never asked," Mel giggled. "Why are you looking at me like that? Why, do you know something about my family?"  
  
Roxton's mind finally began to put the pieces together. "Your sister has this necklace, right?" With a simple nod from Mel, he continued. "Then, I don't know something about your family."  
  
With a saddened look that appeared on Mel's face, Roxton finished his sentence.  
  
"I know someone in your family. In fact, the woman you have been reminding me of, one of the woman I live with, I think, is your sister..." 


	6. A Found Family

Mel simply stood there, dumbfounded by the news her new acquaintance had just given her.  
  
"My-my sister?" she questioned, visibly shaking. "You know my sister? My sister is here, on this plateau?"  
  
"Well, yes, I think so," Roxton stammered. "She has that same exact necklace, and her eyes are the same as the woman you said was your mother. Unless, she stole it from someone, which I hope she didn't-"  
  
"Marguerite?" Mel interrupted hopefully. "Is her name Marguerite?"  
  
"Yes," John answered, with amazement in his voice. "Yes, it is. And she did tell me just this morning that she had a sister. Maybe, just maybe, it is you!"  
  
Mel's eyes pooled up with tears and she couldn't find her words. "My sister is finally here, I can finally see her again."  
  
Suddenly, Mel's eyes fluttered and she fell away in a dead feint. John rushed out to catch her, but it was sort of awkward, as his one arm was still hurting. With that, Roxton laid her on a nearby chair and went to look at the medical supplies she had brought from the doctor's office.  
  
"Wow," Roxton said to himself, as he examined Ned's wounds. "I can't believe that I've- We've- just found Marguerite's sister...Wow. I just hope she isn't out too long, because I have no idea of what I'm supposed to do here, Neddy-boy."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~  
  
Meanwhile, back at the treehouse...  
  
Marguerite sat by the window overlooking the plateau, but she sat with worry in her heart. She may not have been the best huntress ever, but she could have sworn she'd heard raptor growls followed by gunshots deep in the jungle. Challenger and Veronica were out at the Zanga Village tending to a hurt warrior and helping one of the women give birth. They wouldn't be back for a few more days and John and Ned wouldn't be back until daybreak.  
  
Without realizing it, she had grasped her locket and began to think of her sister. Suddenly, she received a strange feeling that her sister was out there somewhere doing the same thing, or at least that she was alive somewhere.  
  
She closed her eyes, and immediately, she saw a face; it was a younger face with the same mysterious, although brown, eyes and long, straight, lighter hair. She had a smile on her face, but somehow, she noticed it didn't quite reach to her eyes. Marguerite gasped and quickly opened her own. The girl had almost been a reflection of her, and realized that the girl's smile was almost a likeness of her own.  
  
Now, if anyone else in their little group had seen what she had, they would have tried to figure out who they were, but Marguerite already knew. The face she had seen was her sister's...  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~  
  
Back at Mel's encampment...  
  
After about 5 minutes, Mel regained consciousness and quickly sat up.  
  
"Quick," Mel gasped, startling Roxton a little. "Tell me that this isn't a dream. Tell me that you've found my sister!"  
  
Noticing the fear and desperation in her eyes and voice, John stood up from his place near Malone and replied, "I sure do bloody hope this isn't a dream! Something like this could really get me back in Marguerite's good graces!"  
  
Hearing Roxton's words, Mel truly beamed and ran to hug him.  
  
"Ouch!" Roxton exclaimed after she had accidentally hugged his arm too.  
  
"Oh! Sorry," Mel apologized. "Oh yeah, I'd better get you cleaned up. And Malone too!"  
  
Mel went to the bag of supplies that Roxton had now spread out over a table. She picked out the tools and bandages needed and went to work on the still slumbering Ned. Roxton watched in complete amazement as it took her only 10 minutes to repair his friend's wounds. And then again, as she went over to Lord Roxton himself and patched up his injury in under 5 minutes.  
  
"You sure are a whiz with that medical stuff," Roxton grimaced as Mel had now taken out a very long utensil that looked very dangerous. "You, uh- you don't need that, do you?"  
  
Seeing the look of apprehension and pain in his eyes, Mel quickly reassured him, "No, no of course not! Not for you anyway! It is just a pin. I'm going to use it in Ned's splint just as an extra precaution. I'm afraid that metal holds up a little more than wood here in the jungle."  
  
She laughed a nervous little laugh and went to go and incorporate the pin into Malone's splint.  
  
"Should Malone still be out?" Roxton questioned uneasily. "It has been quite awhile now."  
  
"Normally, he should have woken up by now," Mel stated. "But I gave him some herbs that will keep him out for awhile. I didn't exactly want him waking up in the middle of resetting his leg, I'm afraid it's quite painful. Especially when you're awake."  
  
Roxton just stood there bewildered at the fact that this young woman before him could be his love's baby sister; the girl she had been searching for and the only one of her family she had left. Then it hit him, Marguerite doesn't know her parents are dead, she assumes they are, he thought. But she doesn't even know what their names are. Maybe seeing her sister will help her to fill in some blanks.  
  
At that exact moment, Ned chose to wake up. "Woah," he stammered. "Where- where am I? How did I get here? And why is she still here?"  
  
John just laughed. "It's alright Ned, Mel's on our side. (Pauses) We're at Mel's home, inside a grand mountain. Oh just wait Ned! Outside it's breathtaking! And, we carried you here, on a stretcher. We probably won't be able to go back to the treehouse until morning. Besides Ned, you should be thankful, because that's no way to talk to one of Marguerite's family!"  
  
Ned just stared at him drop-jawed. "Marguerite's family? Wait. Are you trying to tell me that this girl, here in the jungle that we've never seen before, is Marguerite's sister?!?!?!!"  
  
John just nodded.  
  
"Alright," Ned accepted, rather calmly. "How, uh, did you guys figure that out? Are you positive?"  
  
"Well," Mel interceded. "It is quite a long story."  
  
Ned smiled back, letting everyone know he was accepting of this new discovery.  
  
"Well," he began. "Roxton said we can't leave until morning anyway, and I'm assuming you're coming with us back to the treehouse. So, I think I might have some time to spare"  
  
The trio just looked at each other and chuckled a bit.  
  
"Well," Mel commenced. "It all started with a dream..." 


End file.
